


Touchstone

by foxy_mulder



Category: The X-Files, The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998), The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)
Genre: Bigfoot - Freeform, Episode references, F/M, First Date, Love Admission, Some Cursing, mulder is cute, takes place sometime after the show while they're still kinda on the run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxy_mulder/pseuds/foxy_mulder
Summary: “Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship... the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”-Gillian Anderson





	

She hadn't been on a date in months. So, needless to say, this was going to be interesting.

Especially since her date/best friend/partner in justice was currently seated beside her, eating Funyuns in his UFO pajamas, looking like he had no intention of getting up anytime soon.

"Mulder."

He didn't respond, too absorbed in the Bigfoot documentary.

"Mulder," she tried again. _"FOX."_ He startled, Fuyuns dumping down his shirt. "What?"

"We have a reservation, so go get dressed. And put on some heeled boots to make you taller so we won't be recognized." 

Of course, the heels were probably overkill, like their various fake beards, glasses, adopted voices, colored contacts, that ongoing argument about whether or not to burn off their fingerprints... 

But you never knew. She never used to be the paranoid one, but if there was one lesson Mulder had taught her after all this, it was to trust no one. 

She looked over to the clattering coming from the bathroom and saw Fox trying to pull his pants over his shoes. He looked up and grinned at her. She smiled back fondly- 

_Maybe you can trust a few people._

The date went smoothly, all things considered. The Lone Gunmen had generously let them borrow some aliases, and they were led to their table without a single question. 

The wine was good. The music was classy. 

Mulder was eating sunflowers under the table and sneaking suspicious glances at the other patrons. 

"So, Mr. Hardt, how have you been?" She nudged his foot. 

"Please, call me Holman, Sheila, we've been over this a thousand times." Fox said playfully. 

This was fun sometimes. 

"Alright, Holman, how's the kids? And the wife?" 

"Oh, they're holding up, but ever since she found out you were pregnant she's been angry, for some reason. God knows why." 

"Again? You'd think after the first baby she would've kicked you out, huh?" 

"Well, no, because she knows I know about her-" he lowered his voice conspiratorially "-arson secret." 

It was a great game. They would make up increasingly complicated backstories for their aliases until one of them got mixed up. Both had pretty good memory and wit, so it could go on for months. The hardest part was to keep from accidentally using one of the stories from their game in casual conversation with a stranger. Arson secrets and cheating spouses would not go over well with the general public- though Mulder and Scully didn't associate much with the general public anymore, if it could be avoided. If the government found out they were alive, well. It would not be good for anyone. (especially the government. Dana liked to think the two of them could kick the governments ass.) 

"The food is taking forever, can we just go home?" Mulder groused. 

In Mulder speak, that translated to "can we leave, I'm a paranoid asshole who hates fun," or, alternately, "I have a hard-on for Bigfoot so can we go watch the documentary now?," 

He was right. This was taking a very long time. She didn't like being in public this long. But this was their first date. 

"Woah, Casanova, way to romance me." She rolled her eyes. 

"Well, Scu- Sheila, it's been better than Circe de Sole, at least, huh?" 

"That incident was not my idea. And it was a second date, which led to breakup, and this is a first, can we just see the whole thing out?"  
She _really_ wanted to be on this date. Like, seriously, she had waited years for this. 

"We live together." 

"Yes. But now we are going to eat fancy food together, and you WILL like it. Because I've had years of being friends, and now I want to have years of being in love. So take this seriously."  
Maybe for some couples such an early admission of love would be reason for pause, but honestly, it wasn't like it was some great secret. Mulder loved her, too. He'd called her his _rock,_ for gods sake, how much more obvious does it get?  
He looked at her. 

_"Fine"_ he drawled. "We'll do the date thing." Then he leaned in.  
"But just so you know, I _am_ taking this seriously.When we get home, I'll show you- I bought you silk panties." 

It was said in a deadpan, and knowing Mulder, she honestly wasn't sure if he was joking or serious. Silk panties. 

She kind of hoped he was serious. 

"Look at that guy," she said, motioning to an older man at a nearby table. He was sitting with a woman half his age, laughing uproarously while he chewed. His date looked uncomfortable. 

"Wow, maybe that'll be us someday, honeybunch." 

"I can only hope, poopyhead." 

"Ooh, don't make me lose my cool exterior in public." 

She laughed. She felt something touch her leg, and half expected the Flukeman, because that was the way their lives usually went. It was just Mulders hand, though, and he was looking at her expectantly. She took his hand in hers and made lazy circles on it with her thumb. Eventually the topic turned to cryptids (when did it not?) and they discussed theories about Mothmans possible interdimensional travel. 

The lobster arrived, and Mulder kept eating his sunflowers under the table. 

It was a good first date. 


End file.
